Albus Potter First Year
by Misspotter99
Summary: Disclaimer: This story is not mine, the Characters and other words created by J.K Rowling belong to her and only her. Albus Severus Potter begins his first year at Hogwarts in 2017, when he is eleven years old. Will he have an exciting year like his father?
1. Chapter 1

** Chapter 1 : Albus Potter on the Hogwarts Express**

After years, Albus Severus Potter was finally on the Hogwarts Express. He had spent all day worrying about being Sorted into Slytherin House, but he was comforted a little by his father, Harry. Albus, with his older brother James and his cousin Rose, waved to his parents and cousins before the train went around a curve, and they were out of sight.

"C'mon guys, let's find a compartment for ourselves," suggested James to break the silence.

Being careful to avoid Scorpius Malfoy, they soon found an empty compartment. Albus put down his suitcase and his pet owl Hippo, a screech owl he had been given by his mother, Ginny, as his eleventh birthday present. They started talking about Houses as the train plunged under bridges.

"So, which House d'you reckon you'll be Sorted into?" began Rose.

"I think I'll be in Gryffindor," replied Albus. "Dad said the Sorting Hat takes my choice into account."

"Then I'll be in Gryffindor as well if that's true, don't you think?" said Rose confidently.

"I don't think so, Rosie," interrupted James. "The Sorting Hat said that clever people will be in Ravenclaw, and I've never seen anyone as brainy as you."

"Oh shut up, James."

The three were interrupted by Scorpius Malfoy, who was wearing a Muggle shirt and trousers and a smirk.

"Sorry to interrupt your merry little conversation," started Scorpius teasingly, his smirk still on his face. "And speaking of Houses, I will be in Slytherin. I don't think Slytherin allows half-bloods like you in. I've never even heard of a half-blood in Slytherin."

"Well that's a relief," said Rose. "Slytherin is the worst House, especially when you're in it."

Scorpius' smirk left his face, and he turned pink, though he soon recovered. "You won't say that once you see how our Quidditch team plays," and with this he left.

There was a silence, broken by Rose. "Albus, please make sure you close the door this time." she said.

Albus blushed as he closed the compartment door. After a few minutes, the lunch trolley came. Everybody bought their favorite candies, Albus bought two bags of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans (one for now and the other for later), James bought some Cauldron Cakes and a Licorice Wand, and Rose bought some Fizzing Whizzbees. Also, each of the three bought a few Chocolate Frogs. They decided to open one for now and open the others later. James got a card of his own father, Harry, Albus got a card of Kingsley Shacklebolt, the Minister of Magic, and Rose got Minerva McGonagall.

"Look, Albus!" exclaimed Rose. "I'm actually floating!"

Rose was really floating above the ground because of the Fizzing Whizzbees.

"Wow!" shouted Albus excitedly. "I'll trade you my Kingsley Shacklebolt card for one Fizzing Whizzbee!"

After a while, James checked his wristwatch and announced, "We really should be changing into our robes. We've only got ten minutes left, and these Muggle clothes are really uncomfortable."

Albus could hardly believe it. He was really going to Hogwarts, and he was going to be Sorted in less than an hour. Whatever his father said, he couldn't help stay anxious. He stuffed his Every Flavor Beans and Chocolate Frogs in his pockets, took his trunk and Hippo's cage, and started getting out of the train with James and Rose.


	2. Chapter 2

** Chapter 2: The Sorting Cermony**

As they got off the Hogwarts Express, they heard a voice saying, "Firs' years over here!" Albus knew that it was the half-giant Professor Hagrid his father so much talked about with admiration. He had heard that Hagrid was wrongly accused of opening the Chamber of Secrets many years ago and was expelled during his third year, though Dumbledore made him the gamekeeper of Hogwarts and later let him teach Care of Magical Creatures. Now, Hagrid was made the Head of Gryffindor to replace Professor McGonagall. He was also the Deputy Headmaster. Albus and Rose hurried toward the voice, and they soon saw Hagrid. He stopped calling out for first years when he saw Albus.

"Yeh look just like yeh father, Albus," Hagrid said. "Yeh even have yer grandma's eyes. Yer dad was a great studen', yeh know, always visited me in my hut on weekends, and so did Ron and Hermione. Now, get on a boat, you two. Yeh have ter cross the lake firs', 'tis traditional for firs' years, but mind yeh don' fall in. The Gian' Squid's not too gentle with humans."

"Th-th-the—?" stuttered Albus frightenedly.

"Gian' Squid, yeah," said Hagrid. "I remember it once put a studen' back in, right during Harry's time, so don' get so scared. Less talk, more action,now four people on each boat!''

Albus and Rose got onto the nearest unoccupied boat they could find. Lorcan and Lysander Scamander, the twin sons of Luna Scamander, one of Albus' mother Ginny's close friends, came aboard with them. Albus, Rose, Lorcan, and Lysander rowed slowly across the Black Lake. They were soon there, and Hagrid led them through the long, wide corridor that leads to the Great Hall. Peeves the Poltergeist (Albus remembered Ginny saying that it was an annoyingly mischievous poltergeist at Hogwarts who could only be controlled by the Bloody Baron, who is the ghost of Slytherin) was hovering more than twenty feet above the students, throwing about two dozens of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes' fake wands at the first years, one after the other, which turned immediately into chicken eggs the moment they came less than two feet near the ground.

Ickle firsties!" Peeves shouted teasingly, still throwing fake wands down. "I love pestering them around, they're so funny-looking!"

"Damn yeh, yeh nasty git!" Hagrid shouted angrily.

This wasn't a problem for Hagrid, as he vanished each egg nonverbally before they could even reach the ground. Humbled, Peeves blew a loud raspberry and left.

When the first years finally went in the Great Hall, Albus saw that there were four long tables, each for members of each House. A small wizard (Albus remembered Harry saying that this was Professor Flitwick, who teaches Charms and is the Head of Ravenclaw House) came with a tall stool that had the Sorting Hat on top (Albus gave a small squeak of fright). Minerva McGonagall was sitting on her chair, looking at the queue of first years. After a few seconds of silence, the Sorting Hat opened quite suddenly and started singing. Albus got some information about the requirements of each House. Well, he was a half-blood; his father was a half-blood and his mother was a Pureblood, so Slytherin was out, but he was still nervous: the closest Muggle he could think of in his family was his grandmother Lily's parents, meaning his paternal great-grandparents. That was pure enough. He tried to take those thoughts out of his mind, and when he finally came back to his senses, he saw that the Sorting Hat was beginning to Sort the first years one by one. Albus realized that it Sorted people in alphabetic order.

Most of the people Sorted at first were people he didn't know, including a boy named Corner, William who was Sorted into Gryffindor (loud applause from the Gryffindor table) and a girl named Dexter, Katie who was Sorted into Hufflepuff (after two whole minutes of waiting). After a while, Malfoy, Scorpius' turn came to be Sorted. The Sorting Hat shouted "SLYTHERIN!" when it had barely touched his head. After a few others were Sorted, it was Albus' turn. Trembling and shaking with fright, he walked slowly to the front, sat on the stool, and put on the Sorting Hat. It was so large that it covered his eyes entirely.

"Please don't put me in Slytherin. Anywhere but Slytherin, I beg you," replied Albus anxiously.

"Oh, I see!" exclaimed the Sorting Hat excitedly to Albus. "You're another Potter! You are very much like your father, anxious to be in Gryffindor. Ooooh, I see a lot of courage inside, lots of bravery. You'd do well in—GRYFFINDOR!"

Albus almost fell of the stool out of delight, and after taking the Sorting Hat off and giving it back to Professor McGonagall, he raced to the Gryffindor table, right between James and Fred Weasley II, who was about to start his fifth year at Hogwarts. He could see Rose applauding him. After a short time, Scamander, Lorcan and Lysander were both Sorted into Ravenclaw. This didn't come as as surprise, as Ginny had said that their mother, Luna, was in Ravenclaw, too. Finally, after many people, it was finally Weasley, Rose's turn. When she sat on the stool, she closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and put on the Sorting Hat. Within ten seconds, it shouted, "GRYFFINDOR!" Albus applauded proudly, along with Victorie, Fred, James, and all the other Gryffindors. Last to be Sorted was Weasley, Roxanne, the younger sister of Fred Weasley II and the second child of Albus' Uncle George Weasley, which meant that Roxanne was Albus' cousin. She looked much more frightened than Albus was: her hands were shaking so much she couldn't put the Sorting Hat on, so Professor Flitwick, who was standing close by, put it on for her. When the Sorting Hat shouted, "GRYFFINDOR!" she smiled faintly for a moment, then toppled off the tall stool.

It all happened in two quick, breathtaking seconds. Professor McGonagall quickly conjured a stretcher out of thin air to prevent Roxanne from falling down. Professor Flitwick put a Cushioning Charm on the stretcher a split second before she fell. Madam Pomfrey, the Hogwarts nurse, got out from the staff table and rushed up to her.

"She's fainted," Madam Pomfrey told Professor McGonagall. "All she needs is a night's rest at the hospital wing. I'll give her a Calming Potion. She's just got a bit overexcited, she'll be good as ever for her first day of school tomorrow." And with this Madam Pomfrey headed up the stairs to the hospital wing.

"Are you sure she'll—" started Fred anxiously: he was Roxanne's older brother.

"Miss Weasley will be fine," said Profesor McGonagall. "Although I can't admit this happens very rarely. The last time I saw this happen to a student was nearly forty years ago."

After the Sorting Ceremony, Professor Fliwick took away the stool and the Sorting Hat, and Professor McGonagall started to say a few words.

"Attention! Now, I want everyone to know that all products from the shop in Diagon Alley called Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, created by the Weasley twins, are not allowed at Hogwarts, except for Pygmy Puffs and the Weasleys' Edible Wristwatches. If I mentioned all the other school rules, I'd finish at dawn, which is why I told our caretaker, Mr. Filch, who is also now the gamekeeper, to write all of them on a piece of parchment and hang them on the door of his office. I also want to welcome the newcomers and welcome back the old faces. You can now enjoy our meal, made by the most fabulous cooks, our house-elves."

The Sorting Ceremony was over. Albus was Sorted into Gryffindor, and so was Rose and Roxanne. Albus didn't have to worry anymore about being Sorted into Slytherin. Suddenly, the table, which had been blank a few seconds ago, was filled with golden plates and silver cups, all containing food or drink. Albus started enjoying his mashed potatoes, turkey, and pumpkin juice, and then ate some treacle tart for desert. He was completely relaxed for the first time since yesterday, and in his opinion, life had never been better; he was in his favorite House, the House of his parents and grandparents; he was going to meet new friends; and best of all, he was going to learn to play Quidditch, and it didn't matter to him if the broom he was using was a Cleansweep 5 or even a Shooting Star, because he'd try really hard to get on the Gryffindor Quidditch team next year.

**Please review next chapter is going to be called new friends In That chapter, Albus Potter meets four Gryffindor boys in his year. He finds out a group called Dumbledore's Army that his mother told much about that connects all of their fathers with Albus' father, Harry Potter.**


	3. Chapter 3

After the Welcoming Feast ended and everybody was reasonably fed and looking forward to sleeping in their dormitories, Professor McGonagall dismissed the students. The Gryffindors went up to the Gryffindor Tower; the Ravenclaws went up to the Ravenclaw Tower; the Hufflepuffs went to the Hufflepuff Basement; and the Slytherins went down to the dungeons. The Gryffindors were led by Fred and Dominique Weasley, who were this year's prefects. Fred's jokes echoed around the corridor, awakening portraits, who swore loudly at them.

"Hey, who knows why the hippogriff crossed the—" began Fred for the umpteenth time.

"Stop it, boy!" shouted an angry-looking beefy wizard with a ginger moustache (not unlike Harry's Uncle Vernon) who was playing Wizard Chess with another wizard in his portrait. "Can't you see I'm trying to concentrate! Hmm...I wonder whether to move this knight here or there," he added rather loudly, pretending that no one had interrupted them. Fred was very much like his namesake, his late Uncle Fred. He liked jokes and pranks, but unlike both Fred and his father George, he knew when to be serious.

Fred, Dominique, and the rest of the Gryffindors stopped a few minutes later as they approached a portrait of a rather fat-looking witch.

"Password?" the Fat Lady asked Dominique.

"Incendia," replied Dominique.

The Fat Lady's portrait swung open to reveal a hole. Fred and Dominique climbed in, followed by the rest of the Gryffindors.

"For those of you who don't know, this is the Gryffindor common r-r-room," said Fred, trying to suppress an enormous yawn. "Now the boys' dorms are up on the left, while the girls' dorms are up on the right. Now if you don't mind, I've got to go. Prefect's much more than I signed up for, and I must admit I ache all over from Peeves hitting me with Professor McGonagall's walking stick right before I came in the Great Hall."

"This looks cosy," said Albus a few minutes later. He met up with four other first year Gryffindor boys, and together they went into their dormitory. Albus found out that his trunk was beside his four-poster bed, but Hippo was still in the owlery. As soon as they settled down, each sitting on the edge of their beds, they started talking about themselves.

"I'm William Corner," said a boy with a bit long untidy hair that looked like it had been well cared for by its owner. "My dad, Michael Corner, was in Ravenclaw. He won't be happy when he finds out I'm in Gryffindor," he added with a frown.

"I'm Colin, Colin Creevey," said a rather small-looking boy with freckles and brown hair. "My dad Dennis Creevey's older brother, Colin, died in the Battle of Hogwarts, so he named me in honor of him. I've always known I'd get in Gryffindor because of that."

"I'm Daniel Jordan," said a black boy with dark hair. "Oh, and Albus! Dad's a great friend of your uncle George! He always visits him and his family on holidays, and every once in a while George gives me a few Canary Creams for free, he's got a great joke shop in Diagon Alley, you know! Mind you, the Canary Creams cost two Galleons each!"

"Yeah, I suppose," said Albus. "My cousin Fred, you know, the prefect, he was named after Uncle George's twin brother, but he was killed in the Battle of Hogwarts."

"And I'm John Finnigan," said the last boy, who had sandy hair and a few freckles sprayed upon his face. "My dad, Seamus, was a member of a group called Dumbledore's Army, and he told me that the group was founded by your dad, Harry, so I reckon he knew him, Albus!"

"Hey, my dad mentioned a secret group called the DA, too!" shouted Colin. "He even once showed me the fake coin he used to send messages, those were really cool, you know!"

"Me too!" shouted both Daniel and William.

"Wow!" exclaimed Colin. "Your dad was really famous, by the looks of it!"

As the four others got to sleep in their four-poster beds one by one, Albus lay down in his own bed, looking at the canvas at the top, feeling proud that he had such a famous father that all his friends' fathers were friends of. He was also very glad that he got Sorted into Gryffindor, not to mention excited about starting his classes the next day, that is, if he found his way. He made a mental note to himself to send a letter to his parents tomorrow morning by using Hippo, to tell them how glad he was that he got Sorted into Gryffindor, that Rose and Roxanne got there too, that Roxanne actually fainted, and that—but before Albus could think of anything else to tell his parents about in a letter, he fell fast asleep.


	4. Chapter 4

** Chapter 4: Howlers**

In the morning, after half an hour, Albus and Colin found their way to the Great Hall. Albus' day wasn't off to a good start; he and Colin almost fell off one of the staircases when it suddenly shifted, and not a minute later they ran into Peeves, who didn't allow them to go unless they each ate one of his Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, all of which were either a sickly yellow, a sticky green, or a gooey brown. Luckily, Albus ended up with one that tasted like butterbeer, but Colin swore that he had ended up with a vomit-flavoured one.

In the Great Hall, Albus and Colin sat beside each other on the Gryffindor table, under the enchanted ceiling, which now showed a blue, sunny sky. Albus found out that Roxanne was back, looking quite fine as she fed herself to sausages. The Gryffindor ghost, Nearly Headless Nick, sat beside Albus, patting him on the shoulder, which felt like it had been dipped in icy water. Soon after breakfast, the morning delivery arrived, and Albus saw the family owl, Spot, amongst them, carrying a letter in her beak. It soon landed near Albus without knocking over his glass of pumpkin juice. Albus opened the letter and started reading.

"Dear son Albus,

Ginny and I were very proud when Professor McGonagall sent us and owl saying that you got in Gryffindor. I hope that your first day will be exciting. Don't forget to visit Hagrid with James and Rose on weekends. I'll tell you something very important, so read carefully. My father, James, my godfather, Sirius, Teddy's father, Remus, and a boy named Peter Pettigrew (who betrayed my parents to Voldemort, as I told you one day) made this map called the Marauder's Map. It shows most places in Hogwarts, and it also shows where people are. It is like a blank piece of parchment, but its contents can be revealed by tapping it with your wand and saying, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good," and it can be deactivated by tapping it with your wand and saying, "Mischief managed." Your brother James stole it from me yesterday, before we started driving to King's Cross. I know it's him because he had a piece of parchment in his pocket, which he hid from me embarrasedly when I cast him a suspicious look. You have to persuade him to share it with you (no one else), because he still doesn't know how to use it and what it really is. I don't blame him; he wouldn't steal it if he knew it was one of my prized possessions and that it belonged to my father and godfather, but unfortunately Ginny is now, I expect, sending him a—"

Before Albus could find out what Ginny was going to send James, two collosal voices erupted from the Gryffindor table. One of them came from Ginny's fierce sound magnified a hundred times, and the other came from what sounded like a shouting middle-aged man. Albus found out what the voices were; James had received a Howler from his mother, while William Corner had received one from his father, Michael.

The enormous sounds echoed around the Great Hall louder than any voice Albus had ever heard, and it was difficult to hear what each Howler was saying, though he caught snatches of "disgrace to our family" and "stupid kid" from Michael Corner, while Ginny shouted things like "stole your father's prized possessions" and "had enough of your mischievous mind." Albus knew that Michael was shouting about William getting Sorted into Gryffindor, and Ginny was shouting about James stealing the Marauder's Map. A soon while later both Howlers stopped shouting, Ginny's Howler a while later, and the Slytherin table erupted with laughter, which was started by Scorpius Malfoy. A few of the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs, and even some Gryffindors, joined in. Peeves was happily singing a mocking song, which was impossible to hear over the roar or laughter.

"You shut up, Malfoy!" shouted Albus and Colin across the hall together.

An embarrassed William kept glancing at the Ravenclaw table, closed his eyes, and opened them, looking green. He looked like he wanted to Apparate. James looked both confused and embarrased. He turned to Albus.

"I don't know, I swear I don't know what's been happening!" James shouted, after the laughter had died out.

"Well, you know a piece of parchment you stole from Dad?" Albus said, feeling sorry for James and not laughing at him. "That's a map of Hogwarts. It shows almost all places in the castle and even shows where the people are. It's called the Marauder's Map. Here, read this letter," he added, shoving Harry's letter into James' hands.

James grew redder and redder as he read on.

"I didn't know it was that valuable!" said James, looking honest as he gave the letter back to Albus. "Honest! I feel so bad for stealing that! I don't deserve at all to have it! Here, you and Rose can have it!"

"Thanks, James, but Dad said to use it together and without Rose, because it's very valuable," said Albus. He looked at the map, activated it, and found his dot, labeled ALBVS POTTER, on the map. He used the map to go to the owlery. As he stepped over owl dropping and bones of dead prey, he finally spotted Hippo, perched handsomely in a corner, between two barn owls. Albus sat down, leaning on the wall, took out his favorite peakock quill and a piece of parchment, and started writing a letter to his father.

"Dear Dad,

Thanks for the map. James was very ashamed and said he's sorry. I feel sorry for him, too. Now I won't have any more trouble finding my way around the castle, and I promise I'll never use it for mischief, not unless it's REALLY important. I promise James and I will keep it safe, and I'll give it back to you after this year, when I learn to find my way in the castle. I'll also keep in mind to visit Hagrid on weekends, but I have to be extra careful of rock cakes!

Your son,

Albus

P.S. James feels very guilty. I hope you'll send him a letter to cheer him up."

He tied the letter to Hippo's foot, and Hippo soared out of the owlery and into the sky, and Albus watched him from the window as he disappeared slowly over the horizon.


	5. Chapter 5

** Chapter 5: Classes**

Classes were another exciting part of school. Everyone seemed to know Albus, or at least recognize him by his father. Albus' first class was Double Herbology with the Ravenclaws.

The Gryffindor and Ravenclaw first years walked through the grounds and into Greenhouse One. Professor Longbottom was awaiting them in there, and when he saw Albus he beamed.

"Albus!" he said. "I knew I'd see you at school this year! I expect I'll be seeing a lot of you in classes!"

Albus remembered something his parents had said yesterday.

"Professor?" he started awkwardly. "Mom and Dad wanted—er—to say hello." Albus was told to send Neville their love, but Albus supposed that this was the same thing.

"Oh, thanks for telling me!" Professor Longbottom said. "Hannah and I will be visiting you on Christmas. All right! Everyone here, gather round, four to a table, each table consisting of students from the same House, no inter-Housing, and face forward!"

Albus and Rose went and stood beside a circular table. Colin and Daniel joined them.

"Okay! This year, we won't be studying dangerous plants, but anyone getting injured by a plant can shout out for dittany or any other kind of antidote, and I'll help them. Today we'll be learning about Devil's Snare. Devil's Snare is a plant that will attempt to strangle its victim. Now, who knows how we defend ourselves against one if we have are unlucky enough to come across one?"

Rose and Lysander's right hands went straight into the air.

"Tell us, Rose, if you please," said Professor Longbottom, nodding towards Rose.

"Devil's Snare," began Rose, after a deep breath, "cannot stand light or heat. Therefore, to defend yourself aganst one, the simplest way is to use fire against it, preferrably bluebell flames."

"Well done, Rose," said Professor Longbottom. "A point to Gryffindor. Now, I want each of you to take two pots, one with the Devil's Snare in, one without, and take it to your table. Then, you try to repot it. Repotting these are easy, as they are only a week old. The reason I don't allow mixed Houses at a table is because we do competitions once a week. Two points to the House who repots it correctly and before everyone else."

Albus Rose, Colin, and Daniel got to work, after Colin brought the pots, one containing Devil's Snare. Daniel was almost caught by one of its tentacles, but luckily Colin pointed his wand at the tentacle and shouted, "Incendio!" The plant immediately calmed down. With their table containing Rose, who was best at knowing what to do, and Albus, who was best at doing what Rose told him to do, their table finished repotting fastest and most correct. Colin's hand raised excitedly into the air.

"Yes, Colin?" Professor Longbottom said, nodding toward him.

"Professor—we're finished," said Colin.

"Oh, excellent, well done! Neatest repotting I've ever seen! Two points for Gryffindor! Now for homework, write a six-inch-long essay about Devil's Snare's uses during the Battle of Hogwarts."

The class ended, and it was time for Charms. The class contained less people than Herbology did, as this wasn't a double class. Professor Flitwick was standing up on his chair, with three heavy books below him so that he could see above his desk.

"Settle down, settle down, boys and girls!" he squeaked. "Hello, Albus! Just like your father, you are! I'm going to teach you Charms class. Charms is easier than Transfiguration, many students say this, but you still must work hard. Now we won't be trying anything dangerous, but some charms can turn out disastrous if wrongly perfromed. Remember Barrufio, who ended up with a buffalo on his chest after saying 'f' instead of 's'! We'll start with one of the easiest and my favorite, the Hover Charm. You take out your wand, come on, with me!" Albus took out his twelve inch, hazel and phoenix feather wand. "Now you point your wand at the object you want to hover, in your case, your white peakock feather. Now, you swish and flick—this way—good, and you say, Wingardium Leviosa! Say the 'gar' nice and long! Start!"

The first time, only Rose got it right, but after a few tries, half of the feathers went up in the air, though a few dropped down after a few seconds. As Professor Flitwick had warned, Daniel put his robe on fire.

"Oh dear!" squeaked Flitwick. "Aguamenti! A point from Gryffindor! Never forget the 'i' in 'Wingarium', Daniel! Excellent job, everyone else! Now, for homework, practice levitating other objects. Try your socks!"

Albus' next class was Double Potions with the Hufflepuffs. The dungeons, cold and dark, were unwelcome enough without oozing animals and plants in jars hanging from the walls. Professor Slughorn, with his fat outline and walruslike moustache, was looking at everyone.

"All right," he said. "Potions is a very interesting subject. Today, we are going to learn about a few general potions, before brewing a nice Hiccuping Solution. Now, who can tell me, what is the most powerful potion in the world?"

Automatically, Rose's hand went straight through the air, along with Katie Dexter's.

"Okay, Miss Dexter," said Professor Slughorn.

"Amortentia, Professor!" said Katie excitedly, her brown eyes wide open.

"Correct! Love is the most powerful feeling in the world!" A few boys sniggered; Slughorn pretended not to hear them. "While true love cannot be produced, the love potions only make a powerful infatuation, as Hector Dagworth-Granger says. Now, for our next question. Which potion looks clear as water and forces the drinker to tell the truth?"

This time, Albus and Rose's hands went in the air.

"You, Mr. Potter," said Slughorn.

"Well, Dad told me about—er—Veritaserum?" Albus told Slughorn timidly.

"Nicely phrased, Albus!" said Slughorn. "Only three drops will force the drinker to tell the truth. Now for our last question. Who can identify this potion?" he asked, pointing to a cauldron full of a muddy brown liquid that bubbled violently. Albus couldn't resist to answer.

"Yes, Mr. Potter?" said Slughorn.

"Professor, that's Polyjuice Potion. It makes the drinker look like a person he wants. It consists of boomslang skin, lacewing flies, knotgrass, and a piece of the person one wants to turn into, like a hair or a toenail. Its color and taste is unique for each person." Albus' Aunt Hermione had told him all about it, as she had used it in her second year.

"Fully correct! Add five points for Gryffindor! Goodness, we've only got an hour left! Not to worry, though, a Hiccuping Solution is easy. I'll have your instructions on the board, and you can start—now!"

Everyone got to work. Albus found it hard to keep track of the steps and how many ingredients he had put in. Halfway through, Albus' potion was a dark green, but according to the instructions, it was supposed to be acid green. Close enough, Albus thought, but how wrong he was. In the end, it was supposed to be scarlet, but his was a murky shade of brown. Albus was comforted to see that Rose's was medium red.

"Time's—up! Oh, dear! No one's got it right!" Slughorn said, examining the potions. "Oh, excellent Dexter! Fabulous! Five points for Hufflepuff! Miss Dexter's got it right! I'll see you tomorrow, and for homework, write a nine-inch-long essay about the Hiccuping Solution's side effects if gone wrong."

After Potions and break, it was time for History of Magic. Albus had heard that Professor Binns was the only ghost teacher, not to mention the most boring professor Hogwarts had ever had. On this lesson, Albus sleepily doodled on a piece of parchment, like most of the class, except for Rose. Rose was paying rapt attention to Binns' drones about Lachlan the Lanky, writing notes at full speed. I'll just copy from her, Albus thought, before he started playing hangman with John.

After History of Magic, there was Defense Against the Dark Arts. Professor Roberts, who had graying hair and wore purple robes, square spectacles, and a kind smile, started speaking at his desk after all the students were seated.

"All right boys and girls, please settle down!" said Professor Roberts. "Now, Defense Against the Dark Arts is very essential for you. You won't need your copy of A Beginner's Guide to Magical Creatures today, as we will be doing a practical lesson today—quiet down, please, no overexcitement—about the best way to tackle a Cornish Pixie and put it back where it belongs, in our case, a cage. But before we do that, I will ask you a few questions about pixies. Who knows, what is their Ministry of Magic classification? Yes, Mr. Finnigan?"

"Triple X," said John coolly.

"Excellent! Now, what color are they, Mr. Corner?"

William, who had recovered from the events of his Howler, said, "Electric blue, Professor."

"Very good! Last of all, what is the best way to tackle them? No one knows? No wonder, there are very few ways, but my favorite and the easiest one is to put a Stunning Spell on it. This is precisely what we'll do for our practical lesson today; Stun them and put them back in their cages. You will do this in pairs, two to a pixie. You will be awarded one point per pixie, but you will lose three points if the Stunning Spell misses and hits a person. Get to work, boys and girls! Oh, and the incantation is—Stupefy!"

The Gryffindor first years got to work after Professor Roberts released the pixies, which were electric blue and less than seven inches tall. It was very hard to Stun a pixie when they were trying to hold you up by the ears, break your wand, or smash desks at you, while at the same time moving around faster than ever. Albus finally ended up caging up two pixies, but that was after he missed and Stunned Rose, his partner, twice.

"Oh dear!" said Roberts, ten minutes before lunch. "You can now stop practicing and caging your pixies. "Next week, we will move on to pixies! No homework!"

After lunch, it was time for Double Transfiguration with (Albus groaned) the Slytherins. The class was filled with animals, both magical and mundane, and standing at her desk was the headmistress Professor McGonagall.

"Sit down, everyone! Quiet down!" she said in her strict voice. "First of all, before teaching anything, I feel that I must warn you about the subject in general. Transfiguration is not like any other subject, because it is much harder, and one silly mistake will make you lose a body part or even your lives. No smirking, Mr. Malfoy! I have warned you enough, but let us start with theories instead of the practical thing. We will be learning about Animagi for this first week, then move on to simple Transfigurations like turning feathers to needles or ants to termites. Now, who knows what an Animagus is?"

Rose's right hand went up in the air. Malfoy immitated her, but Rose pretended to not notice, though her cheeks were growing red. A few other Slytherins sniggered. Professor McGonagall looked furious at Malfoy when she saw what was happening.

"Mr. Malfoy," she said, gritting her teeth.

"Yes, Professor?" Malfoy said, standing up.

"Judging by your right hand, which was raised in the air a moment ago, I believe you have an answer to my question?" Albus felt pride for McGonagall teasing Malfoy.

"Well—er—" Malfoy mumbled slowly.

"Five points from Slytherin! Now, I hope Miss Weasley has the answer to our question?"

"Yes, Professor," Rose said, smiling. "An Animagus is a witch or wizard who has the ability to turn into the animal he or she most resembles at will. The Ministry of Magic allows seven registered Animagi every century. Professor, you're an Animagus, aren't you?" she added, blushing again.

"Good explanation," said McGonagall, smiling back at Rose. "A point for Gryffindor. Well, I am an Animagus, as I can turn into a tabby cat with markings around my eyes that match that of my spectacles. Watch this," she said, as she turned into an orange tabby cat and back. Loud applause erupted from the Gryffindors, and even the Slytherins, though they didn't applaud her, looked amused. "Now, a few more questions. If your Patronus is a specific animal, will your Animagus form be that animal, too?"

Rose and Albus raised their hands.

"Mr. Potter," said McGonagall.

"Yes, it will," said Albus.

"Good. Now, what is the difference between a werewolf an an Animagus?"

This time it was the Slytherins' turn to raise their hands. Three boys raised their hands, though Malfoy was not amongst them.

"Yes, Mr. Parkinson," McGonagall, said, nodding toward the smallest boy, who had dark eyes and blonde hair and an unpleasant-looking face.

"An Animagus elects to turn into an animal, while a werewolf has no choice," Parkinson said in his soft voice.

"Good. One point to Slytherin. Now, the lesson is almost over, and I want from you a list of the seven registered Animagi of the twenty-first century, with their animal forms and markings."

As Albus walked to the Great Hall for lunch, he felt glad that Astronomy was not until Friday.


	6. Chapter 6

** Chapter 6: Quidditch Tryouts**

Friday was a good day for Albus, James, and Rose. James was going to the Gryffindor Quidditch tryouts, and then all three of them were going to visit Hagrid. They had woken up early, because James wanted practice on the Quidditch pitch before the tryouts started. James didn't mind about riding a Shooting Star, which was the brooms that the school had, because his father had promised him a Cleansweep Seventeen if he managed to get on the team. For a quarter of an hour, James swooped in and out of the goalposts as fast as a Shooting Star could go, before—

"Hey James! What are you doing?"

It was Fred, the Gryffindor Quidditch Captain. Fred had booked the pitch for the morning.

"Needed some practice," replied James.

"Look, the others are coming!" Fred said, pointing to the other end of the pitch.

About twenty students were coming, all carrying Shooting Stars, except a bulky sixth year who had a Nimbus Two Thousand and Two. Fred did a quick head count.

"All right, witches and wizards, come forth! Nineteen, eh! Oh, and James, that's twenty. Excellent, that's all of 'em. Now, first you circle the pitch three times on your brooms in groups of five. One, two—start!"

The first group consisted of four timid second years, three of them girls, and James. James flew fastest and was the only one in the group who won. In the end, only thirteen participants remained.

"Thirteen, eh? Now, you go one by one in front of these goalposts, and last year's Beater, Louis Jonathan, will shoot a Bludger at you three times, and you'll dodge somehow to avoid it. Start now!"

In the end, only James and six other boys remained. James used the Sloth Grip Roll to dodge the last one.

"Excellent, James, that Sloth Grip Roll was brilliant! Now, we've got two Chasers and a Beater missing, leaving a gaping hole in the team, almost as large as the hole in Dad's right ear where it was removed by Dark Magic. Well, that's not the time to mention it. Beater tests first!"

The bulky sixth year who had the Nimbus Two Thousand and Two called Joshua Craig became the next Beater, and then it was time for—

"Chasers!" shouted Fred. "You will try to score against our Keeper, Alexander Jones, who will try to catch the Quaffle. Let's start with James."

James had scored four times, while another participant, Alice Thompson, scored four times, too. The others scored no more than twice.

"Not bad, James and Alice! Seeing as no one else has scored more than twice, I pronounce you the Chasers!" Albus cheered loudly from the stands and felt light with happiness. "Now, let's see who we have. James Potter, Chaser, Alice Thompson, Chaser, Fred Weasley, that's me, Chaser, Louis Jonathan, Beater, Alexander Jones, Beater, Arthur Hill, Keeper, and finally, Angela Williams for Seeker. Not bad at all! We'll have great chances to beat Slytherin on November! Well, practice is on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, now scoot!"

Albus and Rose met James outside the pitch, and Albus congratulated him. He didn't feel any jealousy towards James, because he knew he'd try next year.

"C'mon, let's go to Hagrid's," said James.

The three of them walked toward Hagrid's hut, which was on the edge of the Forbidden Forest. They knocked gently on the door to his hut, and they heard delightful barks.

"Back Fang!" came Hagrid's voice as he opened the door. "Oh, I knew I'd be seeing yeh in a while! Come in, got ter get yeh summat."

Hagrid's hut looked wonderful. There was a massive bed in a corner, unicorn hair hung from the ceiling, and four wooden chairs around a weathered table. Albus, James, Rose, and Hagrid each seated themselves, and Fang started licking James' leg happily.

"So, how was yer firs' week, Albus an' Rose?" said Hagrid, beaming as he poured some coffee for them in bucket-sized tankards and gave them three rock cakes each, which Albus hid quickly under the tablecloth.

"Not bad, Hagrid," answered Albus. "Guess what? James became Chaser today!"

"Bravo!" shouted Hagrid, clapping James on the back so hard he nearly fell off the chair. "Yeh will, too, Al, won' yeh nex' year? Yer dad was a Seeker, yeh know, and yer granddad was a Chaser, too!"

"I'll try," said Albus.

"Atta boy, Al! Let's make a toast," Hagrid said, raising his tankard, "ter the Gryffindor Quidditch team!" the others copied him.

After several more toasts, which were made to Buckbeak, Hagrid's pet Hippogriff, Aragog, his late pet Acromantula, and other things such as life, good luck, and health, James said, "I've got to be going, Hagrid. "I'll send a letter to my parents by Ellie, or Elephant, my pet owl. See you."

"See yeh ev'ryone!" said Hagrid, beaming and waving, while Fang barked loudly in farewell.


	7. Chapter 7

** Chapter 7: Flying Lesson**

Albus was almost getting used to school. He got used to staircases that suddenly moved; Peeves the Poltergeist, who kept blowing loud raspberries while still invisible; unpleasant meetings with Malfoy during Double Transfiguration; and weekly visits to Hagrid's hut. Mr. Filch and Mrs. Norris were always on the lookout for trouble-making students, and Albus usually wished that he had a caretaker who could do magic properly, not Filch the Squib, who spent hours scrubbing a place, while someone else could have waved their wand and cleaned it up in seconds.

Albus was admired by any teacher who had taught his father, the famous Harry Potter, but Professor Slughorn admired him most. He heard from his father that Slughorn was picking up talented, famous, and well-connected students in a group informally called the Slug Club, and preparing little dinner parties for them. Albus was definitely picked up, but Slughorn hadn't invited anyone to dinner so far, and everyone spread the same rumors: Slughorn was preparing a large Christmas party during the end of term.

One Friday morning during the end of September, Albus woke up to a buzz of talk downstairs in the common room. As he got out of the dormitory in pajamas, he saw a few Gryffindor first years gathered around the noticeboard. As he went between the students, he saw a pleasant surprise. A sign pinned up to the noticeboard read,

"First year Gryffindors will have their first flying lesson with Madam Hooch on the training grounds, with the first year Slytherins, on ten o'clock, September the sixteenth, i.e., today. You are not allowed to bring your own broomsticks and will have to use the school broomsticks, Shooting Stars. Your Head of House, Rubeus Hagrid, Order of Merlin, Third Class."

Albus was as excited to hear the news as all the other first years. Rose had found a rather interesting book in the library called Quidditch Through the Ages, and she kept giving boring lectures about flying to everyone who would listen, and everyone was relieved when she was interrupted by the arrival of the owl post. After breakfast, the Gryffindor and Slytherin first years went out of the castle and to the training grounds, where Madam Hooch, with yellow eyes like a hawk, was awaiting them, with twenty broomsticks behind her.

"Good morning, students!" said Madam Hooch cheerfully.

"Good morning, Madam Hooch!" came the students' reply.

"Thank you, students. Now, I want each of you to get behind me, to the left of a broomstick."

Albus went to the left of a rather moldy-looking Shooting Star, standing between Daniel Jordan and Malfoy.

"That's the ticket! Now, I want you to stick out your right hand over your broom and say 'Up!'"

Only a few people were successful. Albus' broom came up to his hand immediately, and so did, much to Albus' disappointment, Malfoy's. Rose, Thomas Parkinson, and John Finnigan succeeded, too, but they were the only others who did.

"Tut-tut," tutted Madam Hooch. "Only five out of twenty managed to get their brooms in their—oh, good, Mr. Jordan, that makes it six. Still, I expected more. Now, you mount your broom, carefully take your feet off the ground, hover in the air for a moment, and come down by leaning forward little by little. On three—one, two, three—GO!"

Albus mounted his moldy broom, which was hovering exactly at his waist, and carefully took his left foot off the grass, and then, even more carefully, his right foot. For a few seconds, he hovered in the air, flushing with happiness; so far, only Malfoy and Rose had done it. Then, he leaned slowly downward, and landed ever so lightly back on the grass. Malfoy and Rose did so, too, and soon, so did John and Parkinson.

"Excellent, Mr. Potter, Mr. Malfoy, Mr. Finnigan, Ms. Weasley, and Mr. Parkinson!" said Madam Hooch. "I am impressed! Well, Mr. Potter, I expected you to do it beautifully, both of your parents were naturally brilliant Quidditch players! You first fly around the place, and then, one by one, the others. I'll be watching you carefully from the ground to help you if you fall."

Albus took the Shooting Star. Then, he went a few yards away from the students, mounted his broomstick, and, taking a deep breath, took off very carefully.

It was wonderful. Albus rose up about fifteen feet, and, gripping the broom tightly in both hands, flew around the place, with the cool air whipping his face, doing loops and circling oak trees. The crowd below applauded and cheered and, only in the case of the Slytherins, booed, until after a few minutes, he could hear Madam Hooch saying, "That's enough, Potter, could you come down, please?" Albus leaned over slightly, losing altitude and speed, until he stopped three feet below the ground and jumped down.

"Fantastic, Mr. Potter! You are guaranteed a place on the Gryffindor Quidditch team next year! Now, who else wants a go?"

Albus could hear Malfoy mutter "Oh, please" before raising his hand.

"Very well, Mr. Malfoy," said Madam Hooch. "Mount your broom and take off!"

Malfoy flew as good as Albus, though he almost flew into an oak tree once and fell down headfirst six feet into the grass when he tried to land.

"Are you okay, Mr. Malfoy?" asked Madam Hooch as Malfoy spat mud. "Very well, Mr. Finnigan next!"

Soon, John, Rose, Parkinson, and a Slytherin boy named Andrew Zabini had their turn, too, and Rose turned out to be the best flier of them. In a few minutes, the lesson was over.

"All right," said Madam Hooch. "Ten points each to everyone who could fly around the place, meaning thirty to Gryffindor and thirty to Slytherin. You can now put your brooms down and get back inside the castle. I believe you have homework to do."

Albus flushed with happiness as he walked back to the locker room. Next year, he would have a great chance of getting on the Gryffindor team, and by that time, the Nimbus Three Thousand and One would come out, and his father would probably buy it for him; if he didn't, then he would surely buy him a Cleansweep Seventeen. Albus was filled with happiness and pride as he went back in the common room with John Finnigan, Daniel Jordan, William Corner, and Colin Creevey and started on his nine-inch-long Herbology essay about Abyssinian Shrivelfigs.

"You did brilliant, Al," said James, who was sitting behind him, playing Exploding Snap with Louis Weasley, who was in his second year with James. "I saw you from the Black Lake. Me and Louis were playing with the Giant—"

"When you were SUPPOSED to be writing a list of Saturn's moons and what they are most known for?" said Rose sternly.

"Well—er—yes," said James, pretending to be cowering. "Blimey, you scare me as much as Mum does. Anyway, I reckon this deserves a visit to Hagrid."

"No!" shouted Rose irritably. "You've got to finish your Astronomy essay, while Albus and I will finish our Herbology one. No tickling the Giant Squid's tentacles, no visit to Hagrid's, and no admiring James' broom until you finish your homework. And that's that."

"You're a bit like Mum, you know," said James, chuckling, "except that you're even more stern."


	8. Chapter 8

** Chapter 8: Halloween**

The opening match of the Quidditch Championship, Gryffindor against Slytherin, was looming closer and closer, and James was becoming more and more nervous, refusing meals and throwing up often during breakfast. October came and went in a rush of homework and classes, and before Albus knew it, he had been at Hogwarts for three months. Albus was very excited for the Halloween Feast, and on the night of the feast, he walked into the Great Hall and was quite taken aback by the Haloween decorations. There were enormous pumpkins the size of boulders, and live bats swooped high over the tables, half hidden by the enchanted ceiling above, which showed a starry night. Like the Start-of-Term Feast, there were golden plates and silver cups, which suddenly filled up with food and drink of all kinds. But none of those surprised Albus more than what happened a few minutes after he started to eat.

Colin Creevey, who, Albus noticed, had not been present at the feast so far, walked up to Albus.

"Hey, Al, he said. "It's Nearly Headless Nick's 525th Deathday Party. He's told me to invite as much Gryffindors as possible. There's normal food and it's in the dungeons. Please come, Nick'll be so glad."

Albus obligingly went out of the Great Hall, taking Rose and James along the way, and descended into the cold dungeons. He soon found Nick with about ten other Gryffindor students in one of the larger dungeons, but there were no ghosts. Harry had told Albus that on Nick's 500th Deathday Party, he, Uncle Ron, and Hermione were the only living attendants.

"Hi Nick," said Albus timidly, with Rose and James behind him.

"Oh hello, Albus!" exclaimed Nick excitedly. "Been counting on you to come! I only celebrate my death every twenty-five years, and I ALWAYS bring a guest of honor, and that guest will be someone alive. This time, I've done the opposite. I get living guests and a ghost guest of honor, because I wanted to remember the time back when I was alive. Our guest of honor is—the Bloody Baron!"

A beaming wizard with robes stained with transparent blood came through scarlet curtains in the corner of the cold dungeon, and everyone looked surprised.

"But I thought you HATED the Bloody Baron!" said James. The others murmured their agreement.

"Not until a few years ago. The Battle of Hogwarts really taught us a lesson. No matter which House we are in, we must be friends and keep faith. You can follow our example."

Fat chance, thought Albus, thinking of Malfoy.

"I don't like it when my living guests sneak away because of the lack of food, so I present you normal food just right for living humans, made by house-elves. Tuck in!" he said, pointing to a small, dingy table and a dozen chairs in the other side of the dungeon.

The deathday party was much more interesting than the feast. The food consisted of bacon and mashed potatoes exactly like the feast upstairs, but there was also a large chocolate cake with the words "Happy Deathday, Sir Nicholas!" written on it in a deep shade of violet.

"Ah," said Nick, sounding satisfied. "Poppy's cake, as promised! Madam Pomfrey has a great talent when it comes to making cake, you know! Ah, she has made the writing in just my favorite colour!"

After the mashed potatoes, cake, and pumpkin juice took the edge of everyone's (except the ghosts') appetites, Nick started to make an announcement.

"Entertainment!" he announced loudly. "This is the most exciting part! A Gringotts Curse-Breaker in Egypt, William Weasley—yes, he is your father, Victorie, Dominique, and Louis—has accepted to send me some skeletons he has found in tombs in Egyptian pyramids. Filius has charmed them with a tricky little charm and then gave them to me, and now you can guess what we will see! Bring down the curtains over there, Albus!" Nick told Albus, pointing to a distant corner where there were the scarlet curtains the Bloody Baron had recently came through.

Albus obligingly went to the distant corner of the dungeon and pulled up the scarlet curtains.

"AAARGH!"

What Albus saw made him scream: half a dozen skeletons emerged from the curtains, walking on their bony legs towards the Gryffindors. Albus went back to James and Rose. The skeletons stopped abruptly a few yards away from the Gryffindors. They didn't move at all for a few moments, and then they started to dance slowly in unison to a mournful tune that came from somewhere in the room. Their appearance and dancing made the hairs on Albus' neck stand up.

"And now for their song!" said Nick.

The skeletons started arranging so that five of them were standing behind the largest of them, whom Albus assumed was their leader. The leader started to sing while the others danced in the background.

"There once was a man called Nick!  
He was very talented at magic,  
But when it came to Transfiguration,  
He was extremely sick!

He once met a Muggle lady,  
Her name was Queen Grieve!  
Grieve told Nick about her problems,  
She talked about her crooked teeth!

Nick promised to fix her.  
He waved his wand at the Lady  
And said an incantation,  
But he got in a terrible situation!

He turned those teeth into a tusk,  
And Grieve was very mad!  
She gave orders to execute  
The very poor little lad!

And so in the following morning,  
He was killed by a Muggle who liked to hunt!  
He got forty-three chops before he died,  
As the axe was very BLUNT!"

There was loud applause as the skeletons disappeared back into their curtains.

"Oh, good, excellent!" said Nick. "I loved that, though I must admit, we could do with lyrics that made a little more sense! Well, Hagrid was in charge of the lyrics, and he apparently didn't have much time to make proper rhymes. I don't blame him, he's got a lot of work on his hands; Professor, Head of House, and Deputy!"

"Nick—er—it's time for us to go back to bed," said Colin.

"Oh, I forgot!" said Nick. "How time flies! Well, you better go. See you around the castle!"

"And what if Filch finds out about us not going to the feast?" asked Rose.

"Oh, not to worry about that waste of space," said Nick, waving his hand as though waving away the caretaker. "All the staff knows about my little party; in fact, Argus was actually in charge of cleaning up this dungeon for me, but I'll still accompany you to the Gryffindor Tower and explain if anyone gets suspicious. See you around, Baron!" he added to the Bloody Baron, who had been sitting beside Nick all the time.

Nick led the guests up the stairs. As they reached the second floor, Nick sighed and said, "A nightmare, that Filch is, especially on Halloween. I remember exactly twenty-five years ago when that old cat of his got Petrified by the Basilisk of Slytherin on this particular floor. He thought Harry Potter had done it! Just think! Harry, the Heir of Slytherin! Nonsense! I'd have fought him right then and there if I was alive!"

Albus grinned; he remembered his father mentioning this.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9 : The Quidditch Match**

Albus had grown accustomed to Hogwarts. He was not surprised in the least when a staircase shifted or when a ghost popped out of a wall. With the help of the Marauder's Map, Albus could walk about the castle with no problem.

The Slug Club Christmas party was looming nearer. November came, and it brought with itself a large outburst of coughing, runny noses, and sore throats, keeping Madam Pomfrey busy feeding Pepperup Potion to anyone who had got a cold, which included Roxanne, Victorie, John Finnigan, and Katie Dexter. James had received his Cleansweep Seventeen, as promised, from his father, as well as a Broomstick Servicing Kit from his mother. Rose also lent him Quidditch Through the Ages, and James had mastered many more moves besides the Sloth Grip Roll, which he said was his signature move.

The day of the opening match of the season, Gryffindor against Slytherin, came. Fortunately, it was a cloudy day with a little breeze and very little rain. Most of the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs were cheering with Gryffindor, though the Slytherins did their best to make their jeers heard. Albus and Daniel Jordan had prepared a large banner. Albus had donated one of his bedsheets and had written the words "Go James Potter!" on it using a tricky charm he had learned from Victorie to make the letters flash in different colors, while Daniel had drawn a large Gryffindor lion below the letters. Albus, Rose, and Daniel held up the banner together, sitting in the top row of the stands so that James would be sure to see it. Lysander Scamander was wearing a pointed hat with a stuffed lion on top, which he said he had inherited from his mother, Luna, while Lorcan was standing beside him, tapping it with his wand every now and then so that the stuffed lion would give out a loud, realistic roar.

Madam Hooch told the Captains to shake hands with each other, and Albus saw Fred Weasley's hand crushed by the Slytherin Captain and Keeper, Gilbert Spencer. Madam Hooch then signaled the players to mount their brooms, released the balls, and, after a few seconds, told the players to take off.

Fifteen brooms and their owners rose high up in the air, and the game began.

"And now," came Louis Weasley's commentatory, closely watched by Hagrid, "Fergus Stewart of Slytherin with the Quaffle, he goes past Chaser Alice Thompson, avoids a Bludger from Beater Alexander Jones, he's passed to Amanda Clarke, only girl player on the Slytherin team, Clarke's on the scoring area, she's about to—what a fantastic save from Arthur Hill! The game continues, Hill gives the ball to Fred Weasley, Captain of Gryffindor, Fred passes to Thompson, Thompson narrowly avoids a Bludger, passes to James Potter, and James has got past Keeper Gilbert Spencer, and—HE SCORES!"

Albus, Rose, and Daniel cheered loudly, and so did the rest of the Gryffindors, the Ravenclaws, and the Hufflepuffs, though the Slytherins made their boos heard. The game continued. James, flushed by scoring the first ten points for Gryffindor, scored two more goals, while Alice and Fred scored one goal apiece.

"Gryffindor leads fifty-nil!" came Louis' roar of delight. The Slytherins had had enough. The Slytherin Beaters, Fisher and Rogers, were growing in brutality, and they aimed Bludgers at every opponent, even if they didn't have the Quaffle. In a few minutes, the Slytherins had scored four goals, though Gryffindor was awarded a penalty for a particularly hard whack by Fisher at Alice Thompson, and Fred scored.

"Gryffindor still in the lead by twenty points!" said Louis. "And it's Stewart with the Quaffle again, he's pelting towards the other side of the pitch, he's passed to Clarke, Clarke's on the left side of the hoops, she throws the ball into the air, she punches it to the right side, and—another save by Hill! Oh, this looks bad—Rogers has shot a Bludger at Hill, Hill's hit straight in the chest, oh my—he's fallen to the ground and—he's fainted! And now Clarke scores! The nasty, cheating scum!"

Hagrid made no attempt to tell Louis off for swearing; he was already swearing at Rogers himself. But according to Madam Hooch, who knew all the Quidditch rules and fouls by heart, Rogers had done nothing wrong, to all the Gryffindors', particularly Albus', disagreement. The Slytherin Chasers scored five more goals, with Hill knocked out.

"And now Slytherin leads hundred to sixty. And it's Stewart with—oh, what is that? Hill is regaining consciousness!" he announced to cheers. "And now he immediately catches a shot from Stewart, what a hope for the Gryffindors! And now Thompson, she passes to Fred, back to Thompson, now to Fred, he goes past Spencer, and he scores!"

Relieved by the return of their Keeper, the Gryffindors began to regain hope. The Chasers scored two more goals apiece.

"Gryffindor leads again one hundred and thirty to one hundred! And now Thompson has the—HAS WILLIAMS SEEN THE SNITCH?!"

Angela Williams, the Gryffindor Seeker, was pelting toward the ground, and even Albus saw it—a small speck of gold fluttering two feet from the ground. The Slytherin Seeker, Steve Palmer, was following her, though Angela was miles below him, fifteen feet from the ground.

"Williams and Palmer are now fighting to get to the Snitch, Williams is miles ahead, though unfortunately for her Palmer has an advantage over her. Williams has got a Comet Three Fifty, which is significantly slower than Palmer's Nimbus Three Thousand, but Williams is doing her best to go faster, and she is only six feet from the Snitch, though still inches ahead of Palmer, and—oh, Palmer falls down! Leaves Williams free to the Snitch, and—she's caught it! Gryffindor wins two hundred and eighty to one hundred! They win by one hundred and eighty points!"

Albus, Rose, Daniel, the rest of the Gryffindors, and the Ravenclaws and the Hufflepuffs cheered loudly. James was about to pelt down toward the ground.

WHAM!

The Slytherin Beater, Fisher had shot a Bludger at James' head and James fell off his broom, unconscious. Luckily, he was less than ten feet from the ground, and Madam Hooch had used her wand to slow him down. Then, Madam Hooch swooped down like a hawk on Fisher.

"FISHER!" she bellowed angrily the moment she hopped off her ancient Silver Arrow. "You never do that again! Twenty points from Slytherin and detention for you! Now, excellent victory, Gryffindors, you won by one hundred and eighty points. Weasley, if you will please help me take your cousin to the hospital wing. I believe Potter only needs a night in bed and a bit of potion."

Albus ran out of the stands to Madam Hooch. "Are you sure James'll be all right?" he asked her.

"Yes, yes, Mr. Potter," replied Madam Hooch reassuringly, "though if you want to you can follow us like the rest of the team."

Madam Hooch conjured a stretcher for James, and Fred hoisted James onto it.

"Now, Weasley, I believe that, as a fifth year, you have learned the Lomotor Charm? You have to do it with me to take Potter to the hospital wing. On three—one, two, three—"

"Locomotor Stretcher!" Madam Hooch and Fred shouted together.

The stretcher rose up into the air, and the two started taking it back inside the castle, followed by Albus and the rest of the Gryffindor Quidditch team, walked back to the castle, on a few sets of stairs, and into the hospital wing. Madam Pomfrey looked furious.

"I heard!" she said. "Such a nasty thing to do! Now, I'm sure Potter will be all right, he's just got a fractured skull, a night in bed and some potion down his throat will make him good as new. And why don't you let Fisher have his detention with me, in my office, scrubbing up some of my cauldrons? Oh—he's recovering!"

James was stirring feebly in bed. In a few moments, he sat up, gazing dazedly at his fellow team members, beaming weakly.

"Ah—" he croaked, "we won."

"That's right, Jamesie," said Fred. "Fantastic, you were. Scored five goals, you did."

"He's right," agreed Albus. "And guess what? Madam Hooch took twenty points off Slytherin because Fisher shot the Bludger at you. Now, I'm going to take Ellie and send a letter to Mum and Dad. They'll be pleased."

"Yes, yes," said Madam Pomfrey, "now get out, please, everyone, no more than six visitors allowed."

"Come on, everyone," said Fred to Albus and his colleagues. "Party in the common room! I'll go steal some butterbeer and cake from the kitchens with Victorie. I also need to say hello to Timmy and Dipsy, my two best house-elf friends. Haven't met them in weeks."


	10. Chapter 10

December came, and one day the Hogwarts Castle found itself knee-deep in snow. Mr. Filch, the gamekeeper, could be seen on the grounds defrosting broomsticks, yelling at students who came by.

Hagrid came by with a list of those students who would stay at Hogwarts for the holidays. None of the Potters and the Weasleys signed up, but Lorcan and Lysander Scamander did, because both of their parents were at St. Mungo's after being attacked by an Erumpent.

"I really wouldn't fancy being a Magizoologist," Rose whispered to Albus when Lorcan told him about his parents' attack during one Double Herbology lesson. "Did you know an Erumpent is classified as a Class XXXX in the Ministry of Magic?"

The professors, including even Professor Longbottom, seemed to give them twice as much homework as Rose said Erumpents were dangerous. Albus and Colin had to spend the whole of one weekend finishing two essays, one being a foot-long essay for History of Magic ("Note at Least Two Reasons for the Last Goblin Rebellion of the Sixteenth Century") and the other being for Charms ("List the Differences between the Tickling Charm and the Hex of the Same Name"). One December evening, as Rose "checked" Albus and Colin's Astronomy essays about Pluto's moon Charon, Victorie climbed through the portrait hole holding a few bright green envelopes.

"Professor Slughorn told me to give these to myself, Dominique, Louis, Albus, James, Rose, Fred, Roxanne, Daniel Jordan, Lambert Jones, and... that's all," she announced, handing Albus and Rose the envelopes and searching for other Gryffindors she was ordered to give the envelopes too.

"What's this? A Slytherin booby trap?" asked Albus, noticing that the whole envelope was green, except for a silver, cursive writing with the words "A. S. Potter" on it.

"Silly boy," said Rose, who had already tore off the paper and had started reading the letter inside, which, Albus couldn't help noticing, was also green with silver writing, like the envelope. "It's an invitation for the Slug Club Christmas Party, on... hey, it's next week!"

Albus tore off the envelope and started reading for himself.

"Dear Albus Potter,

You are invited to a Christmas party on the last day of term at my office, which is in Dungeon Seventeen. You may bring a friend or non-member (of same sex if you're a third year or under) to the party.

Yours sincerely,

Professor H. E. F. Slughorn,

Order of Merlin, Third Class, Potions Master, Head of Slytherin House"

Albus and Rose exchanged a look, and then Albus let out a low whistle.

"Hey Colin," Albus said, "Want to come to the party with me?"

"Yeah, would be great!" said Colin enthusiastically.

-

A week later, on the last day of term, Albus was wearing his bottle-green dress robes sent to him by his father. Colin was also wearing long midnight blue ones, and the two walked down into the dungeons with Rose and Roxanne and James and a friend of his called Henry Price, who was in Gryffindor and in James's year. They talked together as they went past the many dungeons.

"What's the POINT of this whole Slug Club thing, apart from students bringing Slughorn food, I mean?" asked James, who looked contented about being invited nevertheless.

"You wouldn't want to say that in front of Slug—someone's coming!" said Henry.

Professor Slughorn was walking in their opposite direction, and he beamed at them when he saw them.

"Oh, hello Potters and Weasleys, Creevey and Price!" he boomed. "I was beginning to worry that you've lost the way or forgotten about the party!"

"Sorry, Prof—" began Henry.

"Oh, not to worry, not to worry," said Slughorn, carelessly waving his hand. "And Henry, congratulate your uncle Matthew on finding the thirteenth use of dragon blood for me! Oh, what nice robes, Creevey! Looks like all the Weasleys are talented. Fleur, landlady of the Three Broomsticks; Bill, Head Curse-Breaker at Egyptian Gringotts Branch; Ronald and Hermione, Order of Merlin, First Class; Fred and George, Order of Merlin, Third Class; Ginny, first underage to earn Order of Merlin, Second Class. Come in and make yourselves at home, everybody, I've made a perfect party punch for you! Oh, and Albus and James, there are so many people I'd love you to meet! Follow me to find out! You can also bring Mr. Creevey and Mr. Price with you."

Slughorn happily escorted Albus, Colin, James, Henry, Rose, and Roxanne into his office, which was filled with lights, famous people, and invitees.

"Where's the party punch, then, Professor?" asked Colin.

"Oh, right there!" said Slughorn, pointing to a far corner.

There was a large table with an enormous silver cauldron the size of a grandfather clock, and in it, Albus could see soft, simmering orange liquid.

"Can we drink it?" asked Albus.

"There's a note here," said Colin. "'Glasses can be found under the table. The ingredients mixed in this party punch are: Pumpkin Juice, Orange Rinds, Lemon Seeds, Watermelon Seeds, Banana Peels, and Butterbeer.' I don't know about you, but it sounds delicious!"

Albus and Colin took out glasses and started to drink. The party punch tasted sweet, and Albus enjoyed it a lot.

"Come on, let me give you a look around," said Slughorn.

Slughorn led Albus, Colin, James, Henry through the people and found many people they had heard about.

"Here's Gwenog Jones, ex-Captain of the Holyhead Harpies," said Slughorn, nodding toward a woman with a strongly built body, who was hugging his son, sixth year Gryffindor Lambert. "You Potters might know all about her; she was once your mother Ginevra's Captain. Oh, and here's Matthew Price," he said, pointing to a balding man in his late middle ages. He's found the thirteenth use of dragon blood. Great student, now an expert potioneer teaching at Durmstrang Institute. Says he's also working on finding another use of dragon blood."

"Think I've found the fourteenth use already!" said Price with a grin. "Think it's tooth whitener!"

But Albus then saw someone he definitely knew. He was walking, trying to say hello to Nearly Headless Nick, who was in conversation from a fat female ghost, when he suddenly walked into someone. When he looked up, he saw a man with untidy black hair and green eyes who was wearing glasses.

"Dad!" Albus shouted.

"Yeah, it's me," said Harry. "How's school?"

"Great!" replied Albus.

"Now, it's not only me who was invited. There's also Mum and Grandad."

Suddenly, a woman with brown eyes and flaming red hair and a bald man with short red hairs sticking out of his bald head came out from behind Harry.

"Hello, Al!" said Arthur, patting Albus on the back.

"Hello, Albus!" said Ginny, hugging Albus tightly. "Had a good term?"

"Yeah, great!" said Albus. "You should've seen how James played last match!"

"I heard," said Ginny. "Speaking of James, where is he?"

"Dunno, I think he went that way," said Albus. "He was with me and Slughorn and Henry moments ago.

Ginny then went to find James while Arthur started to get into conversation with Slughorn, leaving Albus alone with Harry.

"So, Dad," said Albus. "Caught any Death Eaters since September?"

"Only Jugson. Uncle Ron tracked down Greyback too, but he had died while biting himself last full moon."

"WHAT?" asked Albus, bewildered.

"Well," said Harry, "he couldn't risk going out in case he'd get caught, so he had to stay at home where there was no one to bite."

"Apart from himself, you mean," said Albus.

Suddenly, Slughorn and Arthur came up to Harry.

"Oh, there's the Boy Who Lived!" boomed Slughorn.

"Hello, Professor," said Harry.

"How do you do, how do you do, and how do you do?" Slughorn told Harry. "Welcome to my party, Harry, and congratulations on catching your thirty-fourth Death Eater! I say that deserves an Order of Merlin if you didn't have one!"

"Yeah, I suppose it does," said Harry. "But I got a great deal of help from Ron. If it weren't for him, I'd have been killed. He pushed me out of the way of Jugson's Killing Curse right on time!"

"Isn't Ronald the one who got poisoned in his sixth year?" asked Slughorn.

"Yeah. First time you got his name correct."

"Sorry about that. I didn't know how talented and famous he'd grow up to be. After all, he co-created a lot of joke products at Weasley's Wizard Wheezes while working there in his late teens and early twenties!"

After a while, Harry, Ginny, and Arthur used Floo powder to go back home, and Albus and Colin took some more party punch. Too soon, it seemed, the party was over, and Albus, Colin, James, Henry, Victorie, Dominique, Louis, had to go back to Gryffindor Tower, talking about the party and the people they met.


	11. Chapter 11

** Chapter 11 : The Christmas Visit**

The day after the Slug Club Christmas party, term ended. Albus had packed up his trunk with some difficulty. On the Hogwarts Express, he, Rose, James, Colin, Fred, and Roxanne had a compartment to themselves, and they spent most of the train ride cracking jokes and betting each other to eat Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans. The train arrived at King's Cross Station in the afternoon. Albus and James said goodbye to friends and cousins as they headed with their father towards the parking lot, where Harry's navy blue 2004 Mercedes Benz stood. Harry refused to buy a newer car, because he rarely used it. At dusk, they arrived at the Main Intersection of the High Street of Godric's Hollow. Albus got out of the car, his trunk in one hand and Hippo (who was sleeping in his cage) in the other. When they were finally inside their house, stomachs rumbling as they ate their late lunch served by Ginny, Harry came in after parking his car in the garage.

"After you two eat your lunch," he said, nodding toward Albus and James, "we're going to visit the Dursleys."

"WHAT?" shouted Albus in disbelief, while James and Lily rolled their eyes and exchanged tired glances.

"But Dad," began Lily, "do we really have to go? I mean, what's the point when we get there every year, what happens if we don't go this time?"

"No more complaining," said Harry sternly, and the three children fell silent. "We are going to the Dursleys and that's it. I called Dudley and he said okay. No more speaking, our Portkey's in the kitchen."

Harry, Ginny, Albus, James, and Lily took the Portkey (a slimy grey sock), and after being tugged around the navel through strange colors and shapes for a few seconds, the family arrived at the living room of Mrs. Figg's house. They refused Mrs. Figg's coffee and went outside. They had reached the front door of 5 Wisteria Walk when Harry turned to the children.

"Now, Lily," said Harry. "Remember me on five minutes to four to get back to the Portkey, or we'll lose it." With this, he knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" asked a harsh female voice.

"Harry," replied Harry. "Harry Potter, you know me. I've visited your house every Christmas since 2007."

Mrs. Dursley opened the door. She was a beautiful woman who wore lots of jewelry at her throat, though her personality was nowhere as beautiful as her appearance, as she had a harsh voice and kept mistaking everyone's names.

"Hello, Jessica," said Harry cheerfully.

"Come in, Henry," said Mrs. Dursley, keeping her harsh tone. "Let's not wait for the snow to melt."

Harry walked into the neat house. The rest of the family followed reluctantly.

Mr. Dudley Dursley, a very fat, beefy man with a little moustache, was in the dining room, finishing his lunch of pork chops. The children were sitting on the floor near the fridge, stuffing their faces with pieces of chocolate cake. Alex, Martha, and Linda Dursley were five-year-old triplets who had to get whatever they wanted without excuses. They were so fat nearly as big as Lily, who was four years older than them.

"Children," whispered Harry to Albus, James, and Lily. "Go and play with Alex, Martha, and Linda. I'm sorry about this."

Albus, James, and Lily obligingly went over to the three spoiled children, rolling their eyes as they did so.

"Hey, fat midgets—" began James.

"Shut up!" said Lily. "Alex, Martha, and Linda, will you—?"

"Marry us?" said Albus jokingly, as James burst into silent laughter.

"Al," whispered James, so that the triplets wouldn't hear, "should we draw sticks on which of us gets Martha and who gets Linda?"

"Stop it, James," muttered Lily irritably. "Now, will you three come into your room and play with us?"

"Yes!" they chorused happily.

"Glad to hear that," said Lily. "Let's go."

The triplets' room was colorful and messy. The bright orange walls were covered in stickers of Muggle cartoon shows such as Mickey Mouse and Sponge Bob Squarepants on them, and there was a triple bunk bed where the children slept. The beds were messily covered in boogers and spit and were covered with stuffed animals. It seemed as though Mrs. Dursley had desperately tried to clean up the room, but with minimum success, so she had given up cleaning it at all.

"What game should we play, Martha?" asked Albus, trying to sound as warm and welcoming as Lily.

"We'll play with Woger Mike," Martha replied.

"Come again?" asked James.

"She means Roger Mike," said Lily with the air of explaining one plus one to a toddler. "The big brown teddy bear they've named after the Muggle mailman."

Alex and Linda brought Roger, who was about Albus's size, and Martha started to explain the game they were about to play.

"The game is called 'Sing and Jump'," she explained importantly. "We have to sing 'Old MacDonald Had a Farm', and then after every time us and Rogers have to jump."

Albus didn't know if he had ever played such a boring game. He didn't know any of the lyrics, so he had to mumble the whole song up. Finally, after about a quarter of an hour, Albus asked if they could play another game.

"No," replied Martha, his stomach swaying.

"We could play—" began Lily.

"No," repeated Alex. "You do what we tell you to do, or we'll—"

"This is boring!" said Lily, rolling her eyes in frustration and not making any effort to prevent the children from hearing.

It all happened in two breathtaking seconds. Alex, Martha, and Linda all jumped to attack Lily, and Lily, scared, did exactly what Harry was afraid she would do. She used underage magic. Alex, Martha, and Linda were thrown backwards six or seven feet, and they hit their heads on the opposite wall. The five-year-old triplets started crying, massaging their heads and wailing "MOMMY!" as loud as they could.

Mrs. Dursley came into the room, gasped, and went to comfort her children.

"Alex! Martha! Linda!" she shouted anxiously. "What was it, my dears? Did they take Rogers from you?"

"Lily!" shouted Alex. "She threw us into the wall!"

"Don't lie, Alex Dudley Dursley, you three almost killed me before I did!" protested Lily.

"How dare you hurt any of my—!" began Mrs. Dursley, raising a hand at Lily.

"STUPEFY! OBLIVIATE!" came a masculine voice at the door, and at once, Mrs. Dursley was knocked unconscious, her eyes dazed. Harry had just entered the Dursley children's bedroom, and he had Stunned and modified Mrs. Dursley's memory.

"STUPEFY! OBLIVIATE!" shouted Harry three more times, and one by one, the Dursley triplets were Stunned and Obliviated just like their mother was.

"Lily, are you okay?" asked Harry.

"Yeah, fine, dad," replied Lily. "I'm really awfully sorry, I just couldn't stop it. I can't stop doing magic, you know."

"I understand, Lily, don't worry," said Harry. "Looks like I'm moments away from getting my sack. Come on, we've got only seven minutes to get to our Portkey. You, Albus, James, and Ginny get out, and I'll turn them conscious again and say goodbye."

Albus, James, and Lily went to the living room, where Ginny was sitting with her mouth wide open in horror and Mr. Dursley was lying on the floor, Stunned and Obliviated as well.

"Your dad'll be in so much trouble at the Ministry," said Ginny. "Who knows, Kingsley might even sack him!"

"Please, Mum," said James. "Now's not the time to worry about Dad being sacked. Dad says the Portkey'll leave in about seven minutes."

The four Potters hurried out of Wisteria Walk and ran into Mrs. Figg's house in 7 Privet Drive. Not even sparing Mrs. Figg a glance, they ran through the hallway to the living room. Their Portkey (the dirty sock) was already glowing bright blue.

"But what about Dad?" shouted Lily.

"He can Apparate!" replied Ginny. "Now come on!"

Albus hurried toward the Portkey, and he and Ginny touched the sock a split second before it went away. After a brief whirl through colors and shapes, Albus and Ginny were back at the kitchen of 37 Main Intersection, in Godric's Hollow.

"What'll Dad and James and Lily do?" asked Albus.

"If I'm right, they'll be coming here by Knight Bus, seeing as James and Lily are too young to Apparate," answered Ginny.

Exactly as Ginny predicted, in a few moments, Harry, James, and Lily came in, looking dizzy. James had a nasty cut on his lip, which had swelled significantly.

"Hello, Harry, dear," said Ginny welcomingly. "And what happened to James?"

"Oh, come ON, Mum, it was just a small—!"

"He hit the wall of the Knight Bus," Harry explained. "No worries, I can fix it in a moment. Hold still—Episkey!" James's lip was reduced to its normal size. "Learned that from Luna Scamander in my sixth year. And from now on, I'll never—EVER—go to another Dursley visit accompanied by an underage witch or wizard, for your, my, and the Dursleys' good."

"Did you really get on the Knight Bus, Dad?" asked Albus, jealous.

"Yeah, we did," said James. "But it's not that big of a deal. Had to lift my chair back up seven times or so while Violet Violent Vehicle was leaping all over England."

Albus still loved, or thought he'd love, to get on the Knight Bus, no matter how badly James described it.


End file.
